The US plans to expand sanctions against “Nord stream – 2”

New sanctions against the “Nord stream-2” gas pipeline project from the United States may be introduced as early as February-March 2020. This is reported by the German business publication Handelsblatt, citing sources among diplomats in Washington.

According to the newspaper’s interlocutors, the House of Representatives and the Senate are preparing a new bill on sanctions. If last time the sanctions threatened companies that participate in the construction of the gas pipeline, this time European investors and future gas buyers may become the target of sanctions.

A representative of the German company Uniper, which is a partner of Gazprom on the project, told the newspaper that the company is monitoring the situation. “We know that the Americans are determined to prevent the implementation of “Nord stream – 2,” said a representative of the concern.

The project is the fact that to the exit point of the pipe on the banks of Germany remained for 150 km. So German authorities believe he may still be completed in a reasonable timeframe, and continue to support the project. A source among German diplomats confirmed that Berlin continues to struggle to ensure that the construction of the NS – 2 is “no longer delayed.”
The operator of the pipeline construction is Nord Stream 2 AG, which is founded by Gazprom. Its partners are French ENGIE, Austrian OMV, British-Dutch Shell, German Uniper and Wintershall Dea.

The US imposed sanctions on companies working on the construction of “Nord stream – 2” in December. After that, the Swiss company Allseas announced the suspension of work on laying pipes. Due to the lack of vessels able to continue the work on laying the pipe at a great depth, the construction of the gas pipeline was delayed. With the total length of one line of the gas pipeline at 1234 km, just over 150 remain to be completed. According to the authorities, taking into account the refusal of Allseas to complete the project, the deadline for commissioning the gas pipeline will move to the end of 2020-the beginning of 2021.